Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-03-02
MO. 81.
DIAMOND MINING.
The Process by which the Sparkling Gems
Are Obtained in South Africa.


Are Obtained in South Africa.
In an interview with reporter, j.
G. Doolittle, of Colorado Springs, who
has spent many years in the diamond
fields of Africa said ''The process Of
mining for diamonds is much different
to the ideas the people of America have
of mining. 1t is not carried on as sim.
liar work would probably be done in
this country. They don't sink shafts
and honey-comb the bowels of the earth
into long tunnels and little chambers
Diamond claims are most generally
about three hundred yards square, and
every inch of the dirt in that space is
dug up, carefully looked through and
then carted away. The richest stones
are found in a bed of clay about two
hundred feet below the surface, but the
earth from the top down to the clay is
studded more or less with clusters. con-
sequently that is the reason miners ex.
cavate their entire claim instead Oh
sinking shafts. The industry is very
expensive, therefore the men who dc
the digging make very little money
out of it as compared to the
diamond merchants and traders.
They are the men who make
the fortunes. In answer TO a question
he admitted that natives were hired to
do the work, but as a general rule they
are so indolent and unreliable that op-
erations proceed very slowly. "Does
it get hot in the mines? Well, ]
should say. 1t would roast the life out
of white man." When the fields near
Kimberley, in Griqualand West, were
first discovered, an attempt was made
to work them with white men, but il
soon proved disastrous, and the opera
tors were compelled to employ native
negroes, Zulus and Basutos. They
stood the heat all right, but became
such consummate thieves that the
claim owners lost considerable money
through them for long time at first.
They would conceal the stones about
their person and at night carry them
out. Finally q law was adopted and
put into force compelling the diggers
to work without clothing of any kind
on them. This for time proved to be
of little benefit, and the bosses were
puzzled 20 find some scheme that they
could use that would prevent the rob-
berries. 1t was discovered, after de-
priving the diggers of their clothing,
that they could conceal stones between
their toes, keep them there all day and
get away with them at night. Now
every mans feet are carefully exam
ined when he leaves the mines of an
evening, and no more robberies are
perpetrated.
When asked how miners judged the
value of diamond in the rough, Mr..
Doolittle replied that every firm kept
supply of alum on hand, and alb
specimens are compared with Jumps of
that material, and the closer stone
resembles the color of alum the more
valuable it is considered. The stones,
however, always have peculiar shape,
They are either eight or ten-sided, run
to point, and one side of the point is in.
variably fiat. Nowadays the product
of these particular mines is sold at
Kimberley, town that has sprung up
near there, where many London mer-
chants have located. A few diamond
cutters have also opened shops there
md do good business. The market
there is generally active, and miners
receive their own price; but that is reg
ulated by the customary opinion OF
those who claim to be judges. But
the diamond cutter is the only man
who can Judge the real value of %
stone. The miners go to the deal
ers with their products divided
into two classes, and then they sell at
60 to 125 and as high as $50 shillings %
stone. The dealer who buys divides
his purchases into four classes, and
generally puts the price up on the very
best stones, so that he realizes about
double what he paid. By the time a
stone goes through the cutters hands,
is mounted and placed on the market,
it has reached a figure six or eight
times larger than the miner realized.
Mr.. Doolittle said that he was in KIM
berley when the great Rhode stone was
found, and dealer there offered Mr..
Rhodes 9125, 900 for half interest in
it, but he refused to accept the offer.
The stone would not bring that amount
now, but its owner has made great
deal of money off of it exhibiting it
through Europe. The stone is SAID to
be about the size of hens egg. Very
often specimens that have every ap-
pearance of being diamonds of the first
water prove to be entirely worthless
and crumble to pieces in a very short
time after being exposed to the air.
Omaha Republican.
Que stion of Economy.